1. Heather Michele O'Rourke was an American child actress.
19 Facts About Heather O'Rourke
1. 2.
Heather O'Rourke had her breakthrough starring as Carol Anne Freeling in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist, which received critical acclaim and established her as an influential figure in the genre.
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Heather O'Rourke went on to reprise the role in Poltergeist II: The Other Side and Poltergeist III, the last of which was released posthumously.
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On February 1,1988, Heather O'Rourke died following two cardiac arrests, her cause of death later being ruled as congenital stenosis of the intestine complicated by septic shock.
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Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27,1975, in San Diego, to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke.
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Heather O'Rourke's mother worked as a seamstress and her father was a carpenter.
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Heather O'Rourke had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, an actress.
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Heather O'Rourke's parents divorced in 1981, and O'Rourke's mother married part-time truck driver Jim Peele in 1984, while they were living in a trailer park in Anaheim, California.
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Between acting jobs, Heather O'Rourke attended Big Bear Elementary School, where she was president of her fifth grade class.
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In Poltergeist, Heather O'Rourke played Carol Anne Freeling, a young suburban girl who becomes the conduit and target for supernatural entities.
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Heather O'Rourke appeared in the television movies Massarati and the Brain and Surviving: A Family in Crisis.
12.
Heather O'Rourke went on to reprise the role of Carol Anne Freeling in the second and third installments, Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988 respectively; unlike its predecessor, the films garnered mixed reviews, although Heather O'Rourke's performances were praised.
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In early 1987, Heather O'Rourke became ill with giardiasis, which she contracted from well water at her family's home in Big Bear Lake.
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Heather O'Rourke was prescribed cortisone injections to treat the disease during the time she was filming Poltergeist III.
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The steroidal injections resulted in facial swelling of the cheeks, which Heather O'Rourke's mother said she was very self-conscious about.
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Heather O'Rourke survived the surgery, but suffered another cardiac arrest while in the recovery room.
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Doctors performed CPR for over 30 minutes, but Heather O'Rourke was pronounced dead at 2:43 that afternoon.
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Heather O'Rourke was nominated for a collective six Young Artist Awards, one of which was won for her performance on the series Webster in 1985.
19.
Heather O'Rourke was nominated for a collective six Young Artist Awards, one of which was won for her performance on the series Webster in 1985.